9/11

9/11

9/11, the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, in the United States, and the associated events and impact of those attacks.

The attacks, which were carried out by agents of Al Qaeda (a militant Islamic terrorist group led by Osama bin Laden) used three hijacked commercial jet aircraft to destroy the World Trade Center in New York City and severely damage the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. A fourth hijacked plane crashed in Shanksville, Pa., when its passengers attempted to seize the plane from the hijackers. Some 3,000 persons died or were missing as a result of the most devastating terrorist episode in U.S. history.

9/11 was a turning point in the presidency of George W. Bush and U.S. foreign policy, leading directly to U.S. support for the overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda was based. The attacks were also used to justify in part the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq (see also Persian Gulf Wars) despite the lack of any clear evidence linking the Iraqi government to Al Qaeda, but the impact of 9/11 contributed to strong American public support for the invasion. The Bush administration, which had already insisted on strong presidential powers, asserted that the United States was at war (a response not echoed by the Spanish and British government in the wake of subsequent significant terror attacks in Madrid and London) and that legal restrictions did not exist on the president's powers to defend the country, a position subsequently questioned in part by the Supreme Court.

As a result of the attacks and of the subsequent reports issued by a joint Congressional investigation and by the 9/11 Commission (see below), a number of significant changes to the federal government were made, including the establishment of the Dept. of Homeland Security, which consolidated 22 nonmilitary government security agencies and assumed responsiblity for U.S. air travel security through its Transportation Security Administration, and the establishment of the cabinet-level post of director of national intelligence, who became responsible for overseeing and coordinating all U.S. intelligence agencies. Other far-reaching effects include the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act in 2001 and building-code changes proposed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2005.

The 9/11 Commission, officially known as the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, was established by law in 2002 to prepare a full account of the attacks and make recommendations on how to guard against future attacks. Headed by Thomas H. Kean, the former Republican governor of New Jersey, and consisting of a panel of a five Democrats and five Republicans, it first convened in 2003, interviewed more than 1,000 persons in 10 countries, and issued its report the following year. The commission faced resistance from the White House and the House Intelligence Committee over access to documents and individuals (including the president and vice president), but access to those improved mainly through public pressure brought by the families of the victims of the attacks; the group was not permitted, however, to question directly the detainees at Guantánamo.

The commission held both public and private hearings and issued a report with both public and classified sections. With the benefit of insights dependent on hindsight, it detailed the terror plot's origins, which dated to 1996, and its development, and also identified failures of various U.S. agencies that might have alerted officials to the impending attack or could have led to actions that might have prevented it. Its work revealed problems with U.S. intelligence gathering and interpretation and with law enforcement concerning terrorist threats against the United States, especially with regard to the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and to cooperation between the FBI and the Central Intelligence Agency. (It also found no evidence of collaboration between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi government.) Many of its recommendations, which focused on preventing another similar attack against the United States, were subsequently adopted, but thoughtful critics have pointed out that its proposals were limited both by its focus on the hijackings and by an emphasis on centralization of responsibility and control as a solution to overcoming the failures of 9/11.

See the 9/11 Commission's report (2004), the commission staff reports and other materials, ed. by S. Strasser (2004), and the account of the commission's work by T. H. Kean and L. H. Hamilton (2006); P. Shenon, The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Commission (2008); study of the events of 9/11 by L. Wright (2006); J. Farmer, The Ground Truth: The Untold Story of America under Attack on 9/11 (2009).

The book, reported to have sustained a number 1 bestseller position in France for six of seven weeks immediately after its launch, sold 164,100 copies in the first year, and a total of 300,000 up to date. It has since been translated into 28 languages (as of 2006), attracting substantial international media attention.

Synopsis

This controversial book questions the US government version on the events and raises a large number of questions on the details of the events which, according to many observers, marked the beginning of the 21st Century and changed the geopolitical world order. It makes the following claims:

First part: “A Bloody Stage is Set”

The actions that provoked the collapse of the Twin Towers in the heart of New York and damaged part of the Pentagon building had not been the result of attempts by foreign suicide pilots, rather an action organized by a group within the US administration; an internal complot aimed at driving opinion and forcing the course of events.

Second Part: “The Death of Democracy in America”

The war on Afghanistan was not a response to the September 11 events, since it was prepared long before in coordination with the British. President Bush found support in evangelical groups to launch a crusade against Islam, according to the strategy known as “Clash of Civilizations”. The “war on terror” was a pretext to cut individual liberties in the United States and later in allied countries in order to impose a military regime.

Third Part: “The Empire Attacks”

Osama Bin Laden was a CIA fabrication and he never stopped working for the US secret service. The Bin Laden and the Bush families jointly manage their wealth by means of the Carlyle Group. The US administration was taken over by some industrial groups (weapons, oil, pharmaceuticals) whose interests be would defended by the government in detriment of others. The CIA would develop a program of interference at all levels, which would include the resource of torture and political assassination.

Response

The book was widely and heavily criticized by the French mainstream news media. For instance, the leading centre-left newspaper Libération called their book: "The Frightening Confidence Trick ... A tissue of wild and irresponsible allegations, entirely without foundation"; and the leading French weekly news magazine, Le Nouvel Observateur commented that the book's theory "eliminates reality". Both Libération and the French newspaper of record, Le Monde, launched special investigations to disprove Meyssan's theories. At the time, Le Monde also complained that inconsistencies in the public information made available about the terror attacks, as well as the lack of a comprehensive official account, was fueling the popularity of the book.

A few months after the launch of L'Effroyable imposture, two French journalists, Guillaume Dasquié (former editor-in-chief of Intelligence Online) and Jean Guisnel, published their own book L'Effroyable mensonge ("The Horrifying Lie"), which was a point-by-point rebuttal of Meyssan's book.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense has officially commented that the book's publication was "a slap in the face and real offence to the American people, particularly to the memory of victims of the attacks". The book is regarded as a significant international misinformation threat to national interests by the U.S. Department of State, which has issued an official rebuttal of its key claims.

Popular Mechanics magazine has also offered its own rebuttal to claims made in the book.